The Christmas Present
Movement on the bed woke me up. Beneath the covers, I dreamily turned over and automatically reached out for soft warmth. My hand landed on the empty bed. Startled, I opened my eyes, and in the dim light cast by the alarm clock, I could see Magenta silently walking over to the closet. She quietly took something, headed out of the bedroom and down the stairs. "Ooooh, I think she's up to something!", I thought as my whole body tingled, and with pleasant thoughts of her in my mind, I fell back to sleep.
I know it was seven forty-two when I woke up, because the alarm clock's one-inch high digits blazed that fact right into my eyeballs. I rolled over and my arm slid outward as I snuggled against her. I again found that I was alone in the bed. Hmmmmm ... I flung the covers off me and pulled them right back on. "Yow it's COLD!!", I said to no one as I trembled, and wished that Magenta was next to me.
Finally I got my nerve up, and got out of bed. I hurried over to the closet and put on my robe, and tied the belt around my waist as I walked down the stairs. All the lights were off downstairs, and the curtains in the living room were pulled shut, so it was quite dark. I could hear the drip coffeemaker in the kitchen doing its thing, and could smell that wonderful smell of the fresh brew. I fumbled for a wall switch, pressed it, and standing in the living room was a large present, wrapped in blue paper with pictures of golden bells and green and red wreaths.
I opened the blinds so that the sunlight could enter the room and I could better see what I had been given. The present was a little under six feet long, with golden tan arms exposed at the sides, and a beautiful face at the top, surrounded by long silky dark hair that cascaded over the floor. The present's eyes were closed, and the face had an expression of sheer bliss.
"I must have been really good this year for someone to bring me such a wonderful gift", I thought as I studied the present.
